Team Visma | Lease a Bike aims to score again at Belgian opening weekend
The long wait is finally over. Next weekend is the start of the cycling classics season. Last year, Team Visma | Lease a Bike had a dream start to the classics campaign in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, winning twice. The team hopes to repeat the feat this year.
Shortly after joining the team, Dylan van Baarle won his first race in yellow and black in 2023. "It was an extraordinary feeling", the defending Omloop het Nieuwsblad champion recalled. "It was literally the first time I could wear a jersey number in the team's service. The day after Omloop, we continued our great form and won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne with Tiesj Benoot."
"I'm starting with a lot of confidence"
Benoot will be back for the Belgian races this year. The Belgian rider had a lacklustre start to the season, dropping out of the Volta ao Algarve partly due to the aftermath of a crash. "That turned out to be a wise decision. It allowed me to rest for a few days. In the meantime, I had some solid training sessions. We still have a short reconnaissance scheduled. I know the roads for both races very well, but it's always nice to test the equipment. The countdown has started."
Wout van Aert will join Van Baarle and Benoot at the start of both races. The Belgian has already raced seven days this season and feels he is getting closer to his peak form. "These two races are also there to work on my form level. I hope to be able to hold my own in the final. I don't know if I can win, but I will take it if I get the chance. But we have some strong riders in the team", Van Aert said.
"In Belgium, this is a prestigious race"
"Last year's edition of Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne is still very much on my mind", Benoot admitted. "It's one of the races I gave myself the slightest chance of winning. It has a mostly flat course and often ends in a sprint. But we made the race tough last year and rode in a small group to the finish. Thanks to Nathan Van Hooydonck's hard work, I had enough energy to win the sprint. It was my second race after my neck injury, so there were a lot of emotions. In Belgium, this is a prestigious race."
The trio has the same desire for the start of the spring classics. "I'm starting with a lot of confidence, not least because of the successful training camp in Tenerife we just finished this week", Van Baarle said.
Van Aert: "The spring classics are the year's best races. Working towards this period keeps my motivation high during the winter. I really lived for it."
Benoot shared this opinion. "With the start of the spring races, we have two beautiful races on Belgian soil. As Team Visma | Lease a Bike, we will give everything. We hope to repeat last year's results."
"This are the year's best races"
Line-up Team Visma | Lease a Bike - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (24/02): Dylan van Baarle, Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, Jan Tratnik, Matteo Jorgenson, Edoardo Affini
Line-up Team Visma | Lease a Bike - Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (25/02): Dylan van Baarle, Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, Jan Tratnik, Matteo Jorgenson, Per Strand Hagenes
Sport directors: Arthur van Dongen & Grischa Niermann
